TCM welcomes my dear friend Cassandra Hanslip to the blog. Cassandra and I used to work together and she is making leaps and strides in this weight-loss game! I’m so proud of her and so inspired by her words as well as fitness journey–I feel like she wrote this for me! I hope that someone else can related to this and gets the inspiration like I did! Read on and show Cassandra some love!
My weight loss journey has been a little different than many, because I lost weight after havingĀ my daughter, and then proceeded to gain it back (and more) over the summer. Returning toĀ work with a little one was stressful, to say the least. If I had to narrow down the cause of theĀ weight gain, I would say it was stress and a little bit of depression, which all led to a huge lack ofĀ self-care. I wasnāt working out. I ate ice cream like it was the base of the healthy food pyramid.Ā Seriously. If Ben & Jerryās had a profit spike last summer, it was me.
In December 2014, hubby and I decided to join a new gym that was closer to our house. IĀ reasoned that if it was closer, easier to get to, and had daycare, I would be more likely to go.Ā Our membership included a free assessment with a trainer, so I set up my appointment to meetĀ with Cindy. We sat and talked for a bit, and then we went over to the dreaded scale. Iām notĀ sure what I thought it would say, but I surely did NOT think it would say 186 pounds. I wasĀ verklempt, to say the least. Like, honestly, the rest of the appointment with her it was all I couldĀ do not to burst out crying. How did I get here? I didnāt even stay to work out after ourĀ assessment. I sat in my car, cried for about 10 minutes, and then I went home.
And then I had to make a plan. Although I had gotten comfortable at that size, I just got anĀ honest assessment about where I was. My body fat was high, and at 5ā2ā I didnāt need to beĀ carrying that much around. My knees were hurting every day. Once you have honestly assessedĀ the situation, then you come up with a plan. I knew it had to include exercise, and it definitelyĀ had to include eating better.Ā The next day, I started my weight loss journey. I took a photo of myself in my sports bra, so IĀ could have an honest picture of where I was, and to use for comparison down the road.
Here are some of the things that have worked for me on my journey:
1. Get a check-up. Make sure there arenāt hormonal imbalances or health issues that areĀ impeding your ability to lose weight. Thankfully I didnāt have any of those challenges. IĀ just needed to start making better choices.
2. I had to revamp my eating. Easier said than done, but it really is the biggest componentĀ of weight loss. You canāt out-train a bad diet. This is also a challenge for me because IĀ donāt like to cook. I do it because I have to and my family needs to eat. Before myĀ weight loss journey, I was not eating often enough during the day, and then eating theĀ wrong things. My lack of energy and lack of enough sleep was causing me to reach forĀ sugary drinks and sweets. Included in my new gym membership was a free consultationĀ with the nutritionist. I talked to her about my typical day and she said she didnāt want toĀ suggest a very regimented eating plan for me because that would be one more thing forĀ me to stress about. She just encouraged me to start with little things. Eat more fruits.Ā Eat more veggies. Drink more water. Work on one thing at a time. So I did. I startedworking on eating 5 times per day. Now for me, that was about 250-300 calories for 4 ofĀ those āmeals,ā and then 400-600 for 1 ā usually lunch. Also, it was easier for me if twoĀ of those meals were protein shakes, with either added fruit or peanut or almond butter.Ā It was easy to blend one of those up while fixing dinner for family.
3. Donāt buy your trigger food(s). Again, easier said than done. When I donāt buy ice cream,Ā I donāt really think about it. If itās in the house, I will eat it. Thatās pretty much a noĀ brainer. Although sometimes I donāt follow it. Iām a work in progress. LOL
4. Get active again! I started off small. I would do some cardio at the gym, and I love yoga.Ā I worked it out with hubby to where Tuesday and Thursday evenings were my nights toĀ attend yoga classes at the gym. Start off with 2-3 times a week, and go from there. IfĀ you try to make yourself workout every day, and then you donāt, youāre going to feelĀ disappointed. Set up a schedule that works for your life. A āwork outā could be pushingĀ the baby stroller around the neighborhood. It doesnāt have to be anything complicated.Ā I eventually paid for some personal trainer sessions when I felt I had reached a plateau,Ā and he was very helpful with my knee issues.
5. Do the things that you like. It is important to do some strength training, because addingĀ muscle to your frame will ultimately help you burn fat. But if weight lifting isnāt yourĀ thing, donāt try to force yourself into a complicated strength training regimen. If you likeĀ yoga, do yoga. Take some vinyasa classes that will help you tone up and get your heartĀ rate up. I like strength training, but some days Iām just not feeling it. I go for cardio andĀ stretching and Iāve still gotten some movement in. If you like to run, try to work back upĀ to that. But if you hate running, donāt even put it in your training plan.
6. You have to schedule your self-care. I donāt necessarily use a planner in my daily life, butĀ if that works for you, do it. Get your significant otherās buy-in. You need them toĀ support your journey. That might mean arranging/paying for a baby sitter if itās during aĀ time when neither of you can be home. Or just making sure you schedule workouts soĀ that home is taken care of. That means sticking to the schedule. He canāt be trying to goĀ watch the game with the boys, if you guys agreed that you get an hour of workout time.
7. Find your support. You have to meet people where they are at. You may have someĀ friends and family who arenāt ready to start a journey to healthier living right now.Ā Thatās fine. Go out and find the people who are. Start a group or join in when friends areĀ having challenges. Iām currently in a 30 for 30 challenge ā we committed to doing 30Ā minutes of some type of activity for 30 days this month, or making sure to have 30Ā active minutes, for those who use a FitBit. The person who started the challenge made aĀ Facebook page, and we have to post a screen shot of our activity by 11:59pm eachĀ night. Having that group has really motivated me to work out on the days when I reallyĀ wanted to skip it.
8. Stay off the scale. At least for a little while. Get your starting weight and startingĀ measurements, and then look for other ways to track your gains. Pay attention to howĀ your clothing fits. If you have a heart rate monitor, pay attention to how long it takesĀ you to recover after you after doing an intense interval. Maybe thereās a big hill in yourĀ neighborhood that you couldnāt get to the top without stopping. You might look up oneĀ day and find yourself at the top and not even realize that you didnāt stop. Those are theĀ types of gains that will make you happy. If you get on the scale every day, or every otherĀ day, you could be setting yourself up for discouragement. There are so many factorsĀ that go into what we weigh. Even when you are doing the ārightā things, the numberĀ could go up.
9. Be patient with yourself and try not to compare to the past. You didnāt gain the weightĀ overnight, and you wonāt lose it overnight. I had to learn to celebrate small successes,Ā like longer time spent on the cardio machines, or increased intensity. Every little changeĀ is a good change. Back in 2004, I gained some weight that had nothing to do with havingĀ a baby. I was able to challenge myself to lose that weight, in preparation for a trip toĀ Hawaii with my BFFs. It was so much easier then. The weight just dropped off, and I keptĀ it off for a while. I had to realize that losing weight at 40 ā with a husband and a child āĀ is not the same as losing weight while single and 30. And thatās ok. I have to work withĀ what I have now.
10. Know that itās ok to be concerned about YOU. As moms, we feel like we have to takeĀ care of the world. We have to make sure the kids and hubby are good. We want toĀ spend quality time with friends and family. We want to have time to just veg out and doĀ nothing. Unfortunately, there are only 24 hours in the day and you may not getĀ everything done. One of the things I struggled with was feeling guilty about being awayĀ from my daughter or my husband when I was in a yoga class, or doing something toĀ make myself feel better. I had to give myself pep talks about that often. They donāt loveĀ me any less because I spend an hour at the gym on Saturday or Sunday. A happier me isĀ better able to connect with my family.
Just know that you can do it! It hasnāt been all rainbows and unicorns, but I have shed aboutĀ 20 pounds (and kept it off) over the last 8 months. I am still working on some goals, butĀ definitely appreciate the milestones Iāve reached thus far.
